


Inevitable

by Weisel



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: M/M, Mystery, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23037478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weisel/pseuds/Weisel
Summary: Shion smiled, and Nezumi knew this was not the Shion he’d been hoping to find.
Relationships: Nezumi/Shion (No. 6)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

Nezumi lightly tapped his fingers against his leg with each chime of the ascending elevator. He closed his eyes and slowly exhaled, observing the various aches in his body. All too soon, his weight lifted slightly off his sore feet as the elevator reached its destination. With his entrance announced by the receptionist—that had _not_ been part of the plan—he half expected Shion to greet him at the elevator. Nezumi blinked at the empty space waiting for him on the other side of the opening doors, then stepped off the elevator and didn’t stop until he reached Shion’s office door.

_There’s no point in putting off the inevitable._

The doorknob turned in his hand. 

_And now there’s absolutely no turning back. Try to get this right, Nezumi._

He pushed the door open and looked inside. The overhead lights had been shut off, leaving only a desk lamp to illuminate the room.

“You’re here!” came a breathless voice followed by an awkward laugh.

Nezumi’s eyes darted toward a figure shuffling around a desk at the center of the room. Something about the office bothered him. It was too… normal. Maybe the thought of giving his heart to someone who spent his days in a boring office was too harsh a blow to his admittedly dramatic ego.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

He could have slapped himself for throwing away his first line like that after three years of radio silence.

“Sorry, I was just packing up and I thought I’d be done by the time you arrived.” Shion fastened the latch on his briefcase, then turned to face Nezumi and leaned back against the desk. His posture was _almost_ believably casual. “So… how are you?” He laughed awkwardly again and looked down at his shoes. “I’m not sure what else to say.”

Nezumi took a cautious step forward. Something was off. Of course Shion was going to be different—they both had parted ways while smack dab in the middle of puberty, after all—but these differences registered in his mind as glaring errors.

_But change is inevitable. I can’t reject every change in Shion._

Shion smoothed out a crease from his cuffed sleeve. Nezumi narrowed his eyes. Since when did Shion care about wrinkles in his clothes? The first time Shion had returned home from dog washing, he had to be told not to come to bed soggy and covered in dog hair.

_That’s what’s wrong. This Shion is too polished._

Nezumi kept a straight face in spite of the sudden weight of dread that dropped in his stomach. Now that his eyes had a moment to adjust to the dim lighting, he could see the features of Shion’s face more clearly. Shion smiled, and Nezumi knew this was not the Shion he’d been hoping to find.


	2. Chapter 2

Nezumi had arrived prepared to face a number of unpleasant possibilities, but an imposter standing in Shion’s place was _not_ one of those. He’d kept tabs on the news when the opportunity came along, and that was supposed to be enough. How long had the real Shion been out of his sights?

_Stay calm and get out. Shion’s not here._

Now was his best chance to escape. Whoever this person was couldn’t be working alone and clearly posed a threat. All he could do right now was pretend he was none the wiser.

“Long time, no see,” Nezumi said with the shrug of a shoulder. What was the last thing an imposter would expect to hear? “You look good,” he added.

The fake Shion smiled wider.

_Of course you would smile, you narcissist. You think an act alone is enough to be Shion? You don’t know a damn thing about him._

“Can I take you out to dinner?” the imposter asked.

Nezumi faked a laugh. “I thought you might ask that, but I’m pretty beat. I knew you’d get upset if I didn’t tell you the moment I arrived, though. How about lunch tomorrow instead?”

The imposter shifted slightly, but continued to smile. “Okay, that sounds good. Will you meet me here at noon tomorrow?”

Nezumi grinned and gave a flourished bow. This was the end of the show, his curtain call, and then he’d be free. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said, then winked to give the imposter something extra to think about. He slipped out the office door and resisted the urge to make a break for the elevator.

_Just act normal._

But this was _not normal._ He was supposed to find Shion here, not whoever the hell _that_ was.

_I can’t panic now. Someone might catch on. Someone has to be watching. This imposter can’t possibly be working alone._

While fears of the worst screamed in the back of his mind—for god’s sake, Shion could be dead—Nezumi put his all into being the best damn background character he could pull off.

_No one knows I know, and it has to stay that way. Breathe. Relax. Pretend nothing is wrong here._

The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. Thankfully, no one else boarded before the doors slid closed. Nezumi exhaled slowly and closed his eyes.

_Where do I go now? Karan—does she know about this?_

Slowly, the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor. Nezumi stepped out and gave the receptionist a small smile on his way past the front desk. Had the situation not been so uncertain, he might’ve forced some answers out of the receptionist before leaving. But no, he had to evaluate from a safe distance before taking action, let alone being detected.

Nezumi walked out of the automatic sliding doors and trained his eyes to the cement path in front of him. Of all the places to walk, pavement always hurt the most, but he welcomed the pain this time. It served as a distraction until he could assume he was no longer being watched. He cursed under his breath and broke into a run.

_You couldn’t have gotten yourself killed, Shion. You wouldn’t let that happen. You wouldn’t._

Nezumi didn’t stop running until he reached Karan’s bakery. He slipped inside the door after a customer left and caught a glimpse of a woman who was _not_ Karan.

_What the hell is going on here?_

Nezumi tried to exit without being noticed.

“Can I help you?”

He paused with his hand on the door. “No, I don’t think so, thanks.”

“Wait,” the woman said more urgently. “You’re looking for Karan, aren’t you?”

_She’s not another imposter. Thank god._

“Yeah. Where is she?”

“Are you… Mr. Nezumi?” she asked hesitantly.

Nezumi paused. This could be a trap. Anything could be a trap at this point. “Why does it matter who I am?”

After a moment, the woman began bagging up a variety of pastries and rolls. Nezumi tensed, watching her every move. She opened the cash register, pulled out a small envelope, and dropped it into the bag as well.

“Please, take this.”

“Thanks.” Nezumi accepted the bag. “What’s your name?”

“Renka,” the woman replied. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she kept her lips tightly pursed.

_This place must be bugged._

“Thanks, Renka.”

Nezumi shifted the bag to one arm and exited the bakery. Just to complete the act of being unsuspicious, he picked out one of the rolls and took a bite. It tasted familiar, but not quite like he remembered Karan’s rolls. He dropped the roll back in the bag and dug out the envelope. Nothing was written on the outside of it, and he couldn’t tell if anything was inside. Nezumi tore off one end and found a small note inside.

_He’s missing. Gone to R for help. Find me. —K._


End file.
